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Israel’s Encroachment on Lebanon and Syria
Thu, June 4th, 2026
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM (GMT+3)
Virtual
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Israel’s “ring of buffer zones” approach to its security is reconfiguring the landscape of both Lebanon and Syria.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has taken control of around 1,000 square kilometers of territory across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria to establish what it describes as “security zones.” (More than half the territory seized lies in southern Lebanon.) Israel says it will keep its forces in place until there is another arrangement that ensures its security. This drastic action cuts across Lebanon and Syria as an interconnected space, raising questions about the viability of buffer zones, Hezbollah’s future, and long-term Israeli plans.
How is Israel’s strategy reshaping the landscape across Lebanon and Syria? Are we seeing the consolidation of a new, interconnected Israeli security arrangement across both countries?
To address these issues, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center will host a panel discussion on June 4 at 4:00 PM Beirut Time / 9:00 AM EDT. The panel will consist of Maha Yahya, director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, and Amjad Iraqi, senior analyst for Israel/Palestine at the International Crisis Group.
The event will be in English and moderated by Armenak Tokmajyan, nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
Viewers are invited to submit questions via the live chat feature on Facebook and YouTube.
For more information, please contact Najwa Yassine at najwa.yassine@carnegie-mec.org.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Event Speakers
Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Maha Yahya is director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her research focuses on citizenship, pluralism, and social justice in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.
Deputy Director for Research, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Mohanad Hage Ali is the deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
Nonresident Scholar Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Armenak Tokmajyan is a nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. His research focuses on borders and conflict, Syrian refugees, and state-society relations in Syria.
Amjad Iraqi
Senior analyst for Israel/Palestine at the International Crisis Group
Amjad Iraqi is a senior analyst for Israel/Palestine at the International Crisis Group.